Substantial variations are known in the configuration of reclosable lids in general as evidenced by the following: U.S. Pat. No. 581,293 entitled “Can Cover or the Like” of C. H. Leggett; U.S. Pat. No. 949,974 entitled “Closure for Cans” of G. A. Cibulka; U.S. Pat. No. 1,433,544 entitled “Sifter Can” of J. C. Gibbs; U.S. Pat. No. 1,765,284 entitled “Ink Well Closure” of L. B. Pronsnitz U.S. Pat. No. 1,888,363 entitled “Inkwell” of C. E. Tannewitz; U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,846 entitled “Dispensing Container with Slide Closure” of J. Coyle et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,724 entitled “Vendable Reclosable Beverage Container” of Waterbury; U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,320 entitled “Measuring Dispenser” of Eppenbach; U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,906 entitled “Container Having Resealable Opening Means” of Florczyk et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,945 entitled “Beverage Container” of Lyon; U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,941 entitled “Dispenser Closure Assembly” of English et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,189 entitled “Resealable, Refillable Container System” of Pierce; U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,454 entitled “Bottle Cap” of Wong; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,442 entitled “Lid With a Slidable Dispensing Spout” of Markert et al. The disclosures of these aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Reclosable beverage lids or containers are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,099 entitled “Drink Preserver” of Davis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,817 entitled “Slidable Reclosable Plastic Lid” of Hambleton et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,212 entitled “Vendable Reclosable Beverage Container” of Waterbury. The disclosures of these aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. In Davis et al., a pushpin tab is interconnected to a closure panel within a track formed in the metal top of the container. The push-in tab operates to tear a scored portion down into the top for exposing an opening whereby the closure panel can be moved over the opening to protect unused contents within the container. In Hambleton et al., a plastic container lid includes a main lid member and a slide member. The main lid member has supporting guideways between which the slide member is situated, and the guideways are chamfered relative to the plane of the main lid member so as to hold the slide member on the lid. An aperture is provided in the main lid and the slide member may cover the aperture. The slide member also includes a finger engageable portion. Waterbury is directed to a reclosable beverage container and provides a slidable cap mounted on an upper end of the container for movement over an opening in the lid. The cap cannot be removed from the lid.
The foregoing items are not generally suitable for the disposable lid/cup market where cost, storage, ease of manufacture and so forth are paramount.
With respect to disposable cup lids, closure panels have commonly been incorporated into the upper wall of a plastic lid, defined by scores such that the closure panel is ripped away from the adjacent parts of the cover along the scores and then folded back to open the drinking aperture of the lid; optionally secured in its open position to an upwardly projecting boss; and refolded to the brim to close the lid. These lids can be difficult to operate properly and often allow substantial spillage (especially troublesome with hot beverages) but have nevertheless enjoyed substantial commercial success, because, in part, they satisfy the demanding cost criteria of the disposable products market.
Domed hot cup lids, though not reclosable, have frequently displaced flatter lids with folding type closure panels because they are preferred by consumers and inherently control some spillage due to the fact that they add “splash height” to the cup above a contained beverage. Such lids as are generally known in the art include a dome shape formed from a thermoplastic polymeric material and have an opening for consuming a beverage when the lid is applied to a cup. Various shapes are provided to the lid and the openings and closures formed therein.
A reclosable dome lid is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,875 entitled “Reclosable Container Lid” of Smith et al. and United States Design Pat. No. D489,260 entitled “Reclosable Container Lid” of Smith et al. The lid includes a cover member and a rotatable disk member mounted in the cover of the lid. A post is located at a periphery of the lid to rotate the disk between open and closed positions beneath the drinking aperture. It is apparently necessary to incorporate features such as drain holes and the like due to the disk/lid geometry and the lid/disk combination appears to require redundant construction of the cover, that is, two layers over the whole top wall. Moreover, the cover features proposed prevent efficient nesting, increasing storage, packaging and transportation costs. The disclosed embodiments furthermore likely prevent stacking in a cup on lid arrangement when multiple beverages are purchased by a consumer; a drawback which might negate spillage gains by closing the drinking aperture.
A further example of reclosable cup lids is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by his reference, which purports to disclose a disposable and reclosable thermoformed lid. This lid has C-shaped rails in which a reclosable panel is snapped therein. The rails are tapered to allow snapping into the rails. It is believed that this lid is difficult, if not impossible, to manufacture in a thermoforming process due to the sharp edges formed in the C-shaped rails. Also, it is believed that this lid would not be stackable in an efficient manner.
Despite numerous options, existing and proposed disposable lids have one or more of the following drawbacks: difficulty of operation and ineffective resealing; ineffective spillage control; high material costs; inordinate storage, packaging and shipping costs; inability to stack in a cup on lid arrangement and so forth. By way of the present invention, such deficiencies in the art are overcome and there is provided a reclosable lid which is durable yet disposable, easy to use, stackable, effective for splash and spill prevention, easily manufactured out of a thermoplastic material with existing machinery, and low in cost.